54" John Deere deck vs. 60" John Deere deck

Undecided which one to buy, please help any pros or cons on either. Cutting my grass in a hurry is not an issue. I do cut overtop of wht I cut because I want to blow the grass to the outside. My back yard is hilly that's why I got 4wd. I sold the BX 2200 for the 1026r, the 54" on kubota was fine but also built heavier like the 60" on the Deere. The Deere 54 doesn't look as heavy duty.

I choose the 54" AutoConnect mower deck for my 2011 1026R. I mow about 1/2 acre of challenging terrain. Neither of the decks have a center roller due to the ability to auto connect. This will cause scalping on uneven lawn. I'm pretty sure that the 54" deck lifts a little higher 5" verses 4" for the 60". If you have a wide open area that is smooth get the 60" deck. I have about 100 hours on my tractor, with about six of those mowing with the 54" deck.

Re: 54" John Deere deck vs. 60" John Deere deck

The larger the deck, the quicker you will finish and if that isn't a criteria for you then a smaller deck is cheaper. Some smaller decks fit through more gates than larger ones.

I have a Snapper Pro series, ZTR, 61" deck with a Kawasaki 25.5 HP. V-twin engine and it is a cutting machine but IF I ever get a new one it will have the 72" deck. These things fly and cut my mowing time down to about 50% or less of the time it took me with my TC40D-HST and an 84" finish mower. I finish mow 7 acres per week, around my home, from March until October, so I need speed to keep me out of the hot sun as much as possible.

Re: 54" John Deere deck vs. 60" John Deere deck

I have been using my 60" MMM deck on a 4100 gear for going on 14 years now. I swap blades out annually [one set gets sharpened while I have the other set on the mower because I am too lazy to pull the blades, sharpen, reinstall, then mow]. Mower has performed perfectly.

-forest creature
[yes, the same one - couldn't get my password changed by the forum admin]

Re: 54" John Deere deck vs. 60" John Deere deck

I just bought a 1026r with the 60" deck. I also have a 54" zero turn, so I have both mower sizes. It is surprising how much bigger that 6" can be, but I would not let that be the only determining factor. I'm not too sure if the 54" deck lifts any higher than the 60", but that might be an important consideration if it does. Today was the first day I tried the new deck around the house, which is an area I usually mow with the zero turn. That mower certainly does like to scalp the ground. I got a little better with it by the end of the day, but it still was a little embarrassing.

All in all, I would go with the bigger deck again given the choices. If for no other reason, I just think the 54" would seem a little small under that tractor, and I think it would affect the ability to get close to trees and other obstacles.